SHEFFIELD United manager Kevin Blackwell heaped praise on Town and revealed he’s backed them for promotion to the Championship.

Blackwell was pleased with the workout for his own team, who face Birmingham on Saturday, and commended Town for their approach.

“I thought Town looked big, strong and well organised and I think they will cause people problems this season,” said Blackwell, who was both player and coach with Town under Neil Warnock in the mid-1990s.

“They have got some very good experience in place.

“But it’s not just about experience – Stan has brought in experienced players with a great attitude, not just people who are wanting to see out their days.

“We know all about Chris Lucketti, who we sold, and he’s been here before, but he is an absolute diamond as a pro and he will drive people on.

“And with a manager like Stan Ternent I wouldn’t want to be a player here who doesn’t do what he says, when he says it and how he wants it doing.

“To be honest, I have put a little bet on Huddersfield and what I’ve seen here makes me more confident that my bet is a little bit more secure.”

On performance, Blackwell added: “Football is about decision making and both sides were a bit rusty at times in that, but that’s why you have pre-season games.

“The more football you play the better decision-making you produce and the more settled you become as a team.

“We still have our set-pieces to work on, but we’ll work on everything this week.”